Preface
Our Joy in His Pleasure
What if much of what we believe about pleasing God is remarkably wrong? Would that cause you to question? To reevaluate? To ponder? What if it were much simpler than we thought? What if we could experience ongoing joy in the assurance of God’s affirmation, approval, and pleasure, even on our worst days? And why is this experience of joy so important? Exploring answers to these questions will make all the difference as we pursue God.
Like a GPS warning “recalculating” prompts us to reconsider our current route, certain events trigger our need to evaluate life. Marriage, divorce, birth, death, promotion, job loss, midlife crisis, and other unexpected intrusions may prompt big questions such as: Why am I here? What is my purpose? Is there a God? And if so, what does it take to please Him, and why would it matter? For me, an unplanned retirement at sixty-seven years of age in August of 2021 spurred such a reflection.
Admittedly, life’s road behind me is much longer than that which lies in front. I had settled the question “Is there a God?” in 1971 as a senior in high school when I discovered Him in a new light. The joy of this discovery—of a personal God who loves, forgives, and takes great pleasure in me—was palpable. It was a joy that would define and impact the rest of my life. Yet I soon discovered this joy was under constant attack on multiple fronts.
Assaults on Joy
We all face trials as broken people living in a broken world. I experienced distress resulting from two Ds in chemistry my freshman year in college, quashing my plans for veterinary school—I eventually graduated in three years and went on to graduate school in counseling. Then there was the vulnerability of falling in love with a girl who was not yet in love with me—in short time she said yes, and is still saying yes, forty-eight years later. Not to mention the weight of career changes from marriage and family counselor to business jet pilot, missionary, pastor, and back to pilot, and job losses (at least one of which was partially self-inflicted) that assailed my joy. But all of these setbacks were temporary, with joy returning even before the storms passed.
The most insidious assault on my joy, however, has been religion. Or more accurately, religiosity. It is a counterfeit religion devoid of relationship. It is the pull of performance, demands of dos and don’ts, and the appeal of appearances, taking what God intends to be a faith that frees and corrupting it into a religion that restrains. It is constant, yet subtle. It results in an affected piety and zeal designed to impress man, but it nauseates God. It distorts the reality of what pleases God and results in His pleasure and affirmation, making His approval and commendation seem impossible. And because it seems impossible, we pursue religious activity and the approval of man that never satisfies as an attempt to bolster our identity, sense of meaning, and happiness. As a person of faith, it is my desire to live a life pleasing to God, one that He commends, to experience joy in my relationship with Him, but how do I get this right?
I have seen many people from all walks of life, all over the world, even those who have known God for many years, get it wrong. I include myself. Although my church experience has been consistently grace-oriented over the years, I am often ensnared by the lure of religious performance. Some days bring regret about what I have left undone, remorse at a distasteful thought or action, or arrogant pride in some accomplishment, insight, or act of service. I imagine God’s disappointment at my failings, or His approval at my attempts at self-justification. How do I take pleasure in my relationship with Him on such days? I must be clear on what actually pleases Him and what brings Him joy. It is the only way to resist the seduction of a religious spirit. It is a spirit Jesus confronted regularly in His encounters with the Pharisees of His time. It is still active today.
The Great Need
This begs the question: why do I want to write this book? To paraphrase the words of C.J. Mahaney, author ofHumility: True Greatness, anyone who would presume to write on pleasing God should be immediately considered suspect.a I am no exception. I am not there. This is a journey of discovery. I have written this as much for myself as for you. It is based on a sermon series I shared in 2014. It forced me back to the basics, and over time, my discovery of what actually pleases God and brings Him joy has weakened the influence of the religious spirit and rekindled
